Dinner

If you don't have tinned coconut milk / cream but fancy a delicious creamy curry, this'll do the trick. I replaced coconut milk for just plant based milk with a squeeze of lime to create a kind of 'buttermilk' which worked brilliantly. All in all, this curry recipe can be whipped up in 30 minutes from prep to getting it on the table.

-vegan

-packed with veg

-easy to make

-lower in fat due to swapping the coconut milk for plant based milk

Ingredients

whole spices:

3 small dried birdseye chillies

1 tsp mustard seeds

3-4 bay leaves (even better if you have curry leaves)

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

veggies:

1 red onion

1 green chilli

1 thumb sized piece of ginger (finely chop half and grate the other half to add in later)

4 cloves garlic

1 red pepper

1 courgette

1 400g tin chickpeas

(optional to add tofu / quorn for extra protein)

3 spring onions

1 lime

250ml plant bakes milk (I used almond)

spoonful of plant based yogurt for dressing (optional)

dried spices:

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp turmeric

Method

Add the basmati rice in a pot with a 1:2 ratio of rice to water, add a large pinch of salt and allow to simmer for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed

Start by adding the whole spices and bay leaves to a pain with a 1tsp coconut oil /olive oil and heating for a minute

Add in the red onion, green chilli and half the ginger (all finely diced) and fry for around 5 minutes

Once they have cooked down add the minced garlic cloves and add to the pan for around a minute to cook properly then add in the finely diced red pepper, drained chickpeas and courgette

Add in the dried spices with the veggies and allow to cook for a further 5-6 minutes on a high heat

Turn down the heat slightly then add in the plant based milk with a squeeze of 1/2 lime and allow to take on all the delicious flavour for a further 5 minutes or so

check on the rice and take off the heat if it's absorbed the water and perfectly fluffy, set aside ready to serve

Taste test the curry, adding salt to preference and a little more spice if preferred

Serve up with the steaming hot rice, then add a dollop of yogurt on each curry, garnish with the finely chopped spring onions and a squeeze of the other 1/2 lime

Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this one, as it's really delicious and perfect if you don't want to use full fat coconut cream. I know a few people who can't use coconut milk but LOVE creamy curries so fingers crossed this will become a staple recipe in your home.

As always, if you share this on social media, don't forget to tag me@Lucy_and_lentils as it always makes my day to see these in your own home!

This recipe is heavily inspired by Chef Cyrus Todiwala who I had the pleasure of meeting on a campaign with Tilda Rice. Learning about the different states within India, the origins of ingredients and recipes, I was inspired to pull together this version of his Kerala Curry.

This recipe is for the sauce but can be adapted to add lots of delicious veggies and pulses!

Method:

Drain the firm tofu then slice into 3cm cubes, add all of the marinade ingredients into a bowl, whisk then coat the sliced tofu and leave to marinade for around 15-30 minutes (overnight is even better)

Finely chop the red onion, the chopped half of the ginger and chilli then add to a pan with the peanut oil, fry for 5-6 minutes

Finely chop the garlic cloves then add to the pan to fry for a further 1-2 minutes

Add the vegetable stock, brown sugar, miso, tamari, squeeze of lime and grated ginger and bring to a simmer for around 10 minutes

Place a frying pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of peanut oil then add the marinated tofu and fry for around 4 minutes on each side until crispy then keep on a low heat until the ramen is ready

*If you want a silky smooth ramen, simply pour the liquid through a sieve to remove any chopped onion or chunks of ginger

Place the udon noodles in the miso soup and heat for around 5 minutes, then taste test adding a little more seasoning if needed

Serve up and garnish with a squeeze of lime, 1/2 tsp sesame seeds per bowl and thinly sliced red chilli along with the fried tofu. Top with a few toasted peanuts and enjoy!

Comfort food at it's best! With this dish, you can either add all of the stock and spiced ingredients to a food processor to make a paste and simply fry then add the stock and coconut milk. This is a much quicker way, however I've written up the slightly longer process but just as delicious!

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 portions with rice / naan

Ingredients

For the curry

1 white onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, (½ grated and ½ chopped finely)

2 stalks fresh lemongrass

1 red chilli, finely chopped

700ml veg stock

90g red lentils | ½ cup

1 tsp tamari

1 tbsp peanut butter

400ml tinned coconut milk

Veg

1 red pepper, cut into large slices

1 medium sweet potato

70g fresh or frozen spinach

Spices & seasoning

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground dried coriander

½ tsp turmeric

2 bay leaves

To garnish

1 lime quartered

2 spring onions finely chopped

1 tsp black & white sesame seeds

Drizzle chilli olive oil

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pan, when hot add the diced onion and chilli and fry for around 4-5 minutes

Add the chopped ginger and pepper chunks and fry for a further 3-4 minutes before adding the finely chopped garlic and allow to cook before tossing in the sweet potato chunks

Stir in the spices, lemongrass stalks and bay leaves and heat for a few minutes before adding the lentils and stock

Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes then turn the heat down to a medium temperature whilst adding the tamari, grated ginger, peanut butter with a generous pinch of salt and bubble for a further 15 minutes until the lentils have softened

Once the lentils have broken down add the spinach and coconut milk and stir together, giving a taste test after a few minutes - this is the perfect chance to add any more seasoning or spice to your preference

Serve up with basmati rice or naan (or both) with a fresh squeeze lime, sprinkle of sesame seeds and finely chopped spring onion